Building construction



March 27, 1945; R. L. DAVISON BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 3, 19422 Sheets-Sheet} INVENTOR oberT RIN March 27, 1945. n. DAVISON v BUILDINGGONS'I1JCTI0N 2 Sheet s-S heet 2 Filed Sept. 3} 1942 F 1.3.3.

5 R.| Y 2 m R VL 0 m V & l W H N N l 4 N v M, fig

Patented 2v, 1945' r as'zzasv amnma oons'muc'non Robert L. Davison, mayYork, N; Y., asaignor it John B. Pierce Foundation, New York, N. Y a

corporation of New York Application September 8, 1942 Serial No. 457,158

4 Claims. '(ci. zo-zy This invention relates to improved buildingconstruction.

n P icular, the invention relates to improvements in buildingconstruction pursuant to which structures capable of comfortably housingtroops,

- campers, or the like, may be readily erected, un-

der adverse or hazardous conditions, from standardized panel units madefrom materials which, under present circumstances, are not of a so-,termed critical nature.

It is an object of the invention to provide means for quickly andreadily assembling a building suitable for accommodating a group ofpersons under conditions to provide for maximum comfort, or to provideforstorage of equipment which must be protected from the weather.

It is an object of the invention to provide a building which departsfrom conventional construction in that there is no'break or distinctionbetween the side walls and roof which are formed of continuouselongatesheets of material; erected at the site of installation by arching saidsheets into a substantially semi-cylindrical structure suitablysupported and secured at its lower margi naledgestoabaseirame. It is anobject of the invention toprovide a building in which the side walls androof are a continuous structure formed or relatively light weight panelsof laminated-'pulp-board having desired thermal insulation properties.said ,pan-

els. incorporating- .as. an integral part thereof,

finish resistant to dampness of condensation.

' It is an object-of the invention to provide a building in whichthe-flooring material may be the same as the material forming theside-wall- I roof structure, whereby to eliminate the necessity buildingwhich, because of its contour, does not 'oi supplyingiandlorstocking'different types of material for the respective purposes.

It is an object ofthe inve ,tion to provide a building which has.adequate facilities for ventilation, and which may be appropriatelytreated to provide a camouflage eflect.

It is an object ofthe invention to provide a cast deep shadows, therebyrendering such building or a group of buildings relativelyinconspicubuilding which is devoid of longitudinal eaves, 5

one from the air.

i It'is an object of the invention-to providea' buildingad quatelyprotected against infiltration 5 suitable exterior weather-proofing andinterior ,of'theunder panel is placed againsttheground of'rain orwind-driven water or spray, whereby gutters, downspouts, or the like,areunneces- 'It is an object of the invention to provide a therebyeliminating the necessity of providing against the erosive action ofwater dripping therefrom. 1

My improved building construction is particularly adaptable for theaccommodation of units of soldiers or the like who must be quickly pro--vided with adequatehousing of a semi-perma- -nent .character.

Acco d g to a preferred form of the invention, thebuilding constructioncomprises the employment of suitable panels of composition board,

;for example, laminated pulp board; shipped to the site of installationin flat panel form, Preferably, the outer or weather surface of eachsaid panel may have a lamination'or coating :of

suitable water-proof material, such as slate-sur face asphalt roofing orequivalent, bonded to thepanel to make it an integral part thereof Ithas been found, in practice, that panels of 8"width', and of such lengthas to provide a substantially semi-cylindrical structure having an 8'.radius as measured from the finished floor line are readily handled bythe erection crew.

In erecting the structure, a framework of timbers may be constructed andlaid upon the leveled ground; desirably, the marginal timbers are of 4"x 4" cross sectional dimension, and intermediate timbers or "floorjoists" of conventional '2" x 4" stock.

The side-wall-roof panels are suitably bent over temporary. forms andoverlap the marginal framing timbers along the sides of the structure.

A clamping timber confines the side-wall panels against the side timbersof the base, with an intermediate flashing of water-proofroofingmaterial' carried below the finished grade'and sloping away from thesides of the structure to afford suitable protection againstinfiltration of water. Said side-roof panels are-made-secure by meanssuch. as lag screws, nails, or the like,

"driven through clamping timber andthe' panels into the base timbers; IA floor, also of the asphalt roofing provided panel material, is laiddirectly upon the ground and secured to the marginal timbersand thefloor joists: by employing a double thickness of such flooring material,the water-proof -surface to protect against moisture, whereas theasphalt surfacing material orthe upper floor panel profloor surfacing.

.vides a highly wear-resistant and water-proof Such building may beinadeas long as is neces- I by erecting a succession of such panels,butt-1 jointed, with exterior and interior battens at the purpose.

windows, and ventilating louvres, are erected from the pulp-boardmaterial. A roof overhang, irregularly contoured, improvesthe'camouflage effect.

Further features and advantages. are hereinafter described. a t

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. l is a. perspective, partly cut away to show interior construction,of a building embodying the present invention and method ofconstruction.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional elevation of a porticn of the-building.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of a base frame suitable for the building. Pig. 4is a detail, in sectional elevation, showing the buildingconstructlon'at the lower side margins thereof.

Fig. 5 is similar .to Fig. 4, showing a second form of floorconstruction, in which the'flooring is laid upon transverse joists.

Referring to the drawings for a more detailed description of theinvention, a base frame l0, Fig. 3, may first be erected andlaiddirectly upon previously leveled ground, being secured thereatbysuitable stake anchors. Said frame may com.-

. d A suitable water shed the building is providedby a sheet 2| ofasphalt found satisfactory. This surface coating, designated ii for theouter lamination i1 and lid for the inner lamination Ha providesawaterproof exterior and an interior which is proof against condensationof moisture on the inner walls of the structure. If desired, however,the interior surface ila' of lamination "a may be of water-proof paintor wax impregnation, according to choice.

As illustrated, particularly in'Fig. 2, the respective pulp board sheetsI! and Na .are staggered, there being suitable overlap between the edgesof the respective pulp board laminae.

. The pulp board sheets I], H, as shown in Fig. 4, suitably overlap theside marginal timbers Ii, and are secured thereto bya longitudinalstringer or timber l8 between which andthe timbers ii, the panels may besecurely clamped as by lag screws 20, nails, or other fastenings,spacedas required.

along the side walls of roofing or equivalent, inserted between thelongitudinal member i8 and the outermost panel 11,

prise side and end marginal timbers H, II, re-

spectively. It has been found that timbers 4" x 4" in cross section areadequate for the tened to the side margin timbers It, so that the uppersurfaces of the respective elements are in alignment, are any desiredpluralityof transverse members it, which may be of conventional 2" x 4stock. Depending upon the total length of the building, or inthefurth'er circumstance that interior partitions are provided in thestructure, one or more intermediate 4" x 4" transverse timbers l5 may beemployed. At the respective corners of such base frame, suitable timberstake anchors it maybe provided, said stake anchors projecting into theground for suchdistanceas is required or permitted by the nature of thesoil.

The frame timbers and cross members may be laid upon the surface ofground suitably levelled, following which the spaces between the endtimbers and the intermediate transverse timbers may be filled withtamped earth.

There is no delineation between and roof of the structure; a doublethickness, of laminatedv pulp board, each thickness of board beingapproxima one-half inch to render said boards capable of being readilybent into semicircular formation over suitable temporaryframes (notshown) forms a. continuous side-wall and roof. The length of the pulpboard panels is suitable to provide a semi-cylindrical structure havinga maximum height of preferably not less than 8 feet and a 16 foot width.7

The respective pulp board sheets," designated II for theouterlamination'and no for the inner lamination, may have bonded to onesurface. a weather and wear resistant material; conventional mineralsurface asphalt roofing hasbeen Laid transversely, and suitably i'as-'the side walls and carried downwardly and away from the base structurefor a suitable distance to form a flashing to preclude the seepage ofwater into the ground beneath the base frame.

.At the overlapping joints of sheets l'l, Ho, and at each end of thestructure it is preferred to use double battens; an outer rib 22 whichmay be of pulp board material, is completely encased in suitablewater-proof material 22'. Interiorly of the structure,,and complementingeach exterior rib 22, it is preferable to use a hard wood rib 23 ofsuitable dimension. A hardwood rib of 4 width and thickness will readilyconform to the curvature of the wall-roof forming panels.

At suitable intervals around the periphery of said double batte'ns, theymay be mutually secured by means such as the illustrated bolts 24. Thedouble battens provide stiflenin'g members sufficiently strong to makeunnecessary the use of interior framing except atlocations whereunusually high winds are encountered.

The floor 25 is constructed from similar pulp board materials having theindicated outer laminations of water-proof material. The floor panelsmay be fastened to the marginal timbers ll 62 andto the transverse beamsis by screws or nails, .as desired. As appears in Fig. 2, the floorpanels are staggered with respect .to each other, to form a broken jointto prevent dampness or moisture from working into the interior of thebuilding.

Asshown in Fig. 4, the double panels forming the floor 25 are placedback-to-back, so that the exterior surface of each door panel is of thewaterproof material. Mineral-surfaced asphalt roofing,

when employed as the exterior surface, provides an excellentwear-resisting surface for the floor,

as well as proof against the penetration of dampness into the laminationwhich is in contact with the ground. a

Where floor panels having a width equal to the maximum width of thestructure are to be used, as

is frequently desirable, it isobvious that said floor panels should befastened to the foundationframe prior to the erection ofthe walls.

The end walls 26 of the-building are constructed of similar pulp boardmaterial of suitable thickness, and in single or double panel, asdesired, and are provided with windows 21 and a 'door a suitably framedand supported. Above each of the windows and the door are louvers 30,for ventilawater-proofing may be accomplished by sheets-32' of asphaltedsheet or roofing material, suitably carried up over the floor as shownin Fig. 2 and underneath the transverse floor plate 33. A sill 34 may besuitably secured to the transverse frame, member l2, and may aiford.step or threshold at the door. After the building has been erected, theground surrounding the'same may be graded.

The sheets 2| at the sides, and 32 at the ends, of water-proof materialtogether completely encompass the building, and serve adequately todivert rain water, rendering it unnecessary to trencharound the buildingor to provide gutters, leaders, or other conventional means forconveying rain water to a point of collection remote from the building.

In installations where sand or other unstable ground conditions make itimpossible or undesirable to erect the buildingdirectly upon the ground,an alternate foundation construction, il-

lustrated in Fig. 5, may be employed. Pursuant to such construction, theside and end marginal framing may comprise members 40, 2" x 10" in crosssectional area, or other dimension as required, supported upon, andsecured to, piers t3. Secured to the lower marginal edges of thesideframing members 40, are 2 x 4's ll, forming a step upon which tosupport floor joists l2, preferably 2" x 6", spaced 12" on centers, towhich the floor 25 is attached. Other structural details. may be aspreviously set forth, with side wall panels secured to the framingmembers II by means similar to the clamping member-lag screwconstruction; and flashing 2| at side walls and 32,

at end walls likewise employed.

The smooth surfaces of the structure and semi- ,cylindrical form, makecamouiiaging particularly 'eflective. Deep shadows are cast only whenthe.

sun is very low in the sky, and are quickly. obliterated by the dusk ofevening or the rising sun of morning. To enhance the camouflage effect,the outer lamination I'I may be carried forward over the end walls, andcut irregularly.

The clean, water-proof interior wall and floor surfaces make itpossibleto quickly and completely fumigate or decontaminate thestructures, a feature of great importance in consideration of thetransient occupation to be expected in connection with the normal use ofthe buildings.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific formsthereof, it will be understood that many changes and modifications mayinitially flat status and secured to side marginal elements ofsaid'foundation frame, said layers of sheet material beingofiset withrespect to their lateral edges, each said layer of sheet material havingat least one water-proof surface, a second plurality of layers of saidsheet material similarly bent and secured, and arranged with theirlateral edges in abutting relation with corresponding layers of saidfirst-named sheet material, whereby the offset relation of therespective sheets provides a broken joint, a batten disposed in contactwith the external sheets and covering the joint therebetween, acomplementary batten in contact with an internal sheet beneath theexternal batten, said battens being secured to said sheets and to eachother to maintain the semi=circular form thereof, end walls, and endwallscompleting the closure of the structure.

2. A building, including, a rectangular foundation frame, a combinedwall-roof structure; lormed of a plurality of layers of'pulp-board sheetmaterial bent at the site of erection into substantially semi-circularform from initially flat status and secured to side marginal elements ofsaidfoundation frame, said layers of sheet material being offset withrespect to their lateral edges to form a discontinuous joint, a secondplurality of layers of said sheet material similarly bent and securedand arranged with their lateral edges in abutting relation with thecorresponding layers of said first named sheet material, battensarranged externally of said layers of sheet material at the juncture ofsuccessive external sheets, complementary battens disposed internally ofthe structure, said battens being secured to each other and to saidsheet material to support the same in semi-circular formation, and afloor of sheet material substantially identical with said first-namedmaterial secured to said foundation frame.

3. A building, comprising a rectangular foundation frame, a .combinedside-wall-ceiling structure including a wide, initially flat, panel offlexible material bowed at the site of installation into substantiallysemi-cylindrical form and secured at its ends to opposite sides of thefoundation upon said foundation .frame by bowinginitially flat panelsinto semi-circular form and securing 1 their ends to marginal members ofsaid foundabe made provided they do not depart from the scope of theclaims.

I claim:

l. A building, including a foundation irame, a. combined wall-proofstructure formed from.

superimposed: layers oi continuous sheet material bent intosubstantially semi-circular. form from tion frame, bending initiallyflat battens to coniorm to the semi-cylindrical shape assumed by saidpanels and securing said battens'to the underside of said panels,applying flooring directly to said foundation frame. and enclosing saidstructure'by means of end walls. a

. ROBERTLDAVIBON;

